But, while searching for my question I found some news titles about Snowden claiming the NSA is already starting to syphon off bitcoin users
Maybe we've been reading different headlines, but from what I recall the NSA is "merely" tracking Bitcoin transactions, possibly trying to de-anonymize users. Because of course they do, they're the NSA after all. Also they are unfortunately not the only entity to do so, but it was pretty much clear from the beginning that this would happen due to the transparency of Bitcoin's ledger.
Are you sure that they are tracking bitcoin transactions to de-anonymize users? Have you any proof, link, something? I know that NSA is the evil of this world but why should they track BTC only and all cryptos? There are quite a few millionaires invested and holding other cryptocurrencies. Why only BTC? If NSA is after big wallets they will know about all of them, I think.
Why else would they track Bitcoin transactions?
Here's one of many articles regarding the Snowden leak and NSA's monitoring of Bitcoin users:
https://www.coindesk.com/nsa-reportedly-eyes-to-scrap-bitcoins-anonymity/
They are not the only ones analyzing money flows on the Bitcoin blockchain:
https://cointelegraph.com/news/irs-uses-chainalysis-to-track-down-bitcoin-tax-cheats
No one ever claimed that only Bitcoin is being monitored. Alts may very well be affected as well.
Whereas I don‘t like the behavior of people in this organization (like in any other large orgs as well), people tend to believe they have power and use it over (more or less) innocent individuals. Like getting shot by a policeman, cause you have African roots... this is what makes us fear these organizations, especially if we have something to hide (taxes are a recurring pattern).
Any organization that has the resources at hand to monitor the bulk of global internet traffic wields a significant amount of power. There's no way to sugarcoat that.
The problem with such organizations is not the surveillance and manipulation of the individual -- it's the surveillance and manipulation of the masses. Hand this power to the wrong person and you hand them the control over a whole population past the point of no return.
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